How Does Camera Work?

What is camera? Camera is like pure magic to capture a moment in time in a still photograph. Exactly how does a camera preserve that split-second moment for eternity? Let’s take a look at the inner workings of the common single-lens reflex (SLR) camera.

A camera basically consists of a lightproof box that lets in a bit of light at just the right moment. Once the light enters the camera, it creates an image by causing a chemical reaction on photo film.

Of course, SLR cameras can also create purely digital images without using photo film at all.

This is how does camera work. First light reflects off the object being photographed. Second this light reflects off the object in all different directions and hits the lens from different angles. And then the lens focuses these rays of light to a point behind the focal point forming a real image. After that the film is placed at the point where the real image is projected to. Next the shutter temporarily moves from in front of the film and allows light to hit the film. Next light hits the film causing chemical reactions which "expose" the film. And then the shutter then closes, and finally the film is advanced so an unexposed piece of film is ready for the next picture.

Types of cameras use different methods of storing the image files:

·         RAM cards: Random access memory (RAM) cards (the most common storage method) are removable memory cards that function much like the memory modules used in a USB flashdrive. Some memory cards are proprietary, but some cards are interchangeable with netbooks, smartphones, and tablet PCs.

The most popular types of media include CompactFlash, SmartMedia, and Memory Stick cards, generally ranging from 512MB to 128GB of storage. When the card is full of images, you either download the images from the card (presumably to your PC) to free up space or eject it and “reload” with a spare, empty card.

·         Hard drives:  some cameras have their own onboard hard drives, and others use tiny removable hard drives that are roughly the same size as RAM cards. Naturally, these little beauties can easily store hundreds of gigabytes of your images.